Firefighters routinely put themselves in danger to rescue others. However, four Western Massachusetts firefighters were recognized on Nov. 21 with the Governor’s Citation for Meritorious Conduct at the 34th Annual Firefighter of the Year Award Ceremony in Worcester for their exceptional efforts to save lives.
“From structure fires to rushing waters, this year’s recipients defied grave danger to protect lives and preserve property … They represent the very finest in a tradition of helping others in times of danger and crisis,” Gov. Maura Healey said at the event.
East Longmeadow
In April, Matthew Adams and Bryan Drury, East Longmeadow firefighter/paramedics, were competing for the first time in the annual Westfield River Wild Water Canoe Race. Their canoe had been pushed against some rocks by the strong current and upturned. After righting their canoe, they heard a call for help.
A man in his 70s who had been in a canoe behind the firefighters had fallen from his boat and was being carried by the current.
“Matt leapt into the water and caught the guy,” Drury said. Adams explained that there was a waterfall downstream, and the man could have been carried over it if they did not act. While people may assume quick thinking is needed in such a moment of chaos, Drury said, “It’s more like muscle memory.”
After pulling the person to the side of the river, they found that the current was too strong to allow them to climb up the rocks and pull the unconscious man out of the water. Drury and Adams were initially not sure what had happened to the person, but soon realized he had gone into cardiac arrest.
“We figured out pretty quickly there was no pulse,” Adams said. Nonetheless, the firefighters began performing CPR on the person while still in the water, which Adams estimated was about 40 degrees. Adams and Drury were joined by West Springfield firefighter and paramedic Nick LaPalme, who was also off-duty at the time.
Using their training in emergency medical response, the firefighters performed CPR for more than 30 minutes. While first responders had been called, the densely wooded site was difficult to reach. “It was a perfect storm of circumstances,” Adams said. The victim was across the river from the nearest road, with railroad tracks abutting their side of the waterway.
While bystanders suggested they flip a canoe upside down and float the victim across the river to first responders, Drury and Adams said they immediately knew that was the wrong course of action because they would have had to stop CPR.
“We know, as paramedics, the number one thing is compressions,” Drury explained. Instead, the team of paramedics and EMTs responding to the emergency crossed the river about three-quarters of a mile away and were forced to wait while police shut down the CSX railway, allowing them access to the site.
Despite feeling exhausted in the frigid was for more than half an hour, the firefighters never stopped performing CPR. “We don’t give up,” Drury said. “We just don’t stop.”
When the first responders arrived on site and an automated external defibrillator was used on the man, electrical activity was detected in his heart. Neither Drury nor Adams could remember seeing activity on someone who received CPR for that long. Adams attributed it to the man having remained in the cold water, lowering his body temperature.
“We felt like, ‘This guy actually has a chance,’” Adams said. Unfortunately, despite the tireless actions of all involved, the man was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
Longmeadow
Six months earlier, another emergency had a happier ending. Now-retired Deputy Chief Gerald “Jay” Macsata had just finished his shift with the Longmeadow Fire Department and was driving home when he picked up a call over the radio for a nearby structure fire. Macsata was the first person on the scene and found a home with smoke billowing from the eaves and front door.
An elderly man was on the front steps and Macsata ran to check on him before asking if anyone else was in the building. With the man unable to answer, Macsata assessed the situation and saw a second adult inside through the smoke. Without the turnout gear that would normally be used to protect him from smoke and flames, Macsata entered the building and made his way to a bedroom, where an elderly woman was confused and weak. Macsata guided her to the exit. He tended to the couple, who had sustained injuries, before an ambulance took them to a hospital. They were treated and later released.
Longmeadow Town Manager Lyn Simmons praised Macsata, saying, “Without the Deputy Chief’s quick action, at the risk to himself, the outcome of this incident would have resulted in a tragedy.”
The Massachusetts Firefighting Academy has stated, “Modern firefighters train for and respond to all types of hazards and emergencies. They are the first ones called to respond to chemical and environmental emergencies, ranging from the suspected presence of carbon monoxide to gas leaks to industrial chemical spills. They may be called to rescue a child who has fallen through the ice, an office worker stuck in an elevator, or a motorist trapped in a crashed vehicle.”
Adams said, “Most of what we do at the East Longmeadow Fire Department is emergency medicine.” Drury added that he believes the department’s ability to provide advanced life support is the reason that the department has grown in recent years.
Considering the work that he and other firefighters do each day, Drury said, “We’re really never off-duty.”